Chocolate eclair

When I found this on Pinterest I knew I had to try it. The only thing I really knew about éclairs up to this point was that there is an ice cream company that makes a to die for chocolate eclair ice cream stick thing. It is amazing. Slightly melted....if not for the calories (that I try/pretend to try to care about). I would eat them all day all summer.

Of course this was different than ice cream....because it isn't ice cream!

First? The crust....after whipping it together and putting it in the oven....it got really 'peaky' and I had to push it down before it finished cooking.

The filling was a chocolate pudding and cream cheese mixture....amazing!!

Evidently it tasted like a cream puff (never had one) but I can tell you between my hubby and my parents and I we ate a really big chunk of it...recipe to be posted later

Chicken....spicy and sweet?

For Christmas some dear friends of ours gave us some garden goodies. Among them? Dried hot peppers....I have been excited to try them for ages! I decided this weekend would be a good time to do so. Using the sweet and spicy DIPPING sauce recipe she recommended I decided to whip up the sauce and throw it in the crock pot with the chicken. The sauce on its own? AMAZING. The sad thing....after sitting in the crock pot for a few houris the sugar seemed to cook into the chicken making it pretty sweet :-( (or something?). I will totally be making it again without the crock pot...and from here on out browning any meat going into the crock pot....that is one step I always leave out...

Farewell

No I am not going anywhere. But another first happened last night. A farewell to some of my coworkers. Now I worked in a coffee chain for about 4 years. I have seen people leave, not every day, but fairly often. The difference is that these three are transferring to another office in another city. Wrapped in this were all sorts of things for a very new experience.

1. There are just some areas of town that I rarely go to, and never go to at night. That is just how it is. Not that I am afraid of such places, but more that I just don't have the party lifestyle and enjoyment that comes with certain areas at certain times. Was some of the crowd a bit different than at usual social gatherings? Probably but I wasn't there to hang out with the crazies so it worked out.

2. A live band. I have never gone to eat or hang out anywhere (other than a loc concert) that they had live band. And of course the largest table for our group? Right by the band....we had all sorts of pretend conversation for lack of being able to hear. Something I loved? Not really? As you will learn throughout this year if you don't already know...I am totally tone deaf and barely notice music....but this was very noticeable.

The restraunt/brewery that we went to was very new. I am not a beer person so that wasn't that exciting of an experience, as well as not wanting anything because of exciting things happening today. But I have never been with a group this large somewhere like this where we weren't all stuck at he table the whole time so your conversations are short and sweet.

This experience wrapped in a package is my new thing for the day. Yes I have sheltered myself a lot in the past. Keep it real 2012.

Ants

Ugh! So one thing that has never happened to me was crawling over my counter first thing yesterday morning. Ants. Please don't find me disgusting. I think i clean my counters more in one week than most people do in 3 months. Seriously at least once a day after doing something in the kitchen. And please don't think I am dumb I clean the cabinets and pantry out a lot too, especially as we are getting ready to move. The good news? I know where the came from.

Being the intelligent person that I am I picked some parsley from my mom's garden. I also bought some basil and green onions fresh...not much time goes by they are happy in their new home in a bowl on my counter before bam ants. The good news is I haven't seen any this morning and left detergent out for them. So I have survived and conquered my first ant attack in less than 24 hours. BAM!

Mr. Perfect has a birthday

So when I started this project it didn't take long for me to realize that it would be part confessions. I started dating my husband in May of 2005....this is the 7th birthday that he has had over that time. my big confession you ask? NEVER over that time have I boughten him a birthday present and actually given it to him ON his birthday. There are reasons for this of course... You see I am horrible when it comes to gifts. I love giving gifts and if I think that I have a good idea....I give it to the person nearly as soon as I get home from the store. That combined with the fact that his birthday is so close to Christmas are reasons he never gets a birthday gift on his birthday. The horrible part is he k OSS I am bad wit gifts and ever since I let it slip that I bought him a gift a week ago he has been on my case about it. Guessing and trying to get it out of me. All the more reason that this is a huge victorious first for me.

And I did it in a big way.

I got him two parts of a gift, and planned it out well! We left the house this morning and went out to breakfast. While we were gone my parents delivered the larger part to our place for me, so it was waiting in the living room. After breakfast we went to my parents house (that is where the gift was because let's face it I can't have it sitting around for a week and not either let him open it or tell him what it is) he unwrapped it, we chatted and then headed home. BAM there is the bigger part....I was jumping up and down! I am so proud of myself!

Happy birthday to my amazing husband!

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Mozzarella sticks

Wow! A pretty excited success! As friends wee arriving I took the last batch out of the pot and got them to stay warm in the oven. Then I was able to wipe the counter down a bit. I will post the link where I got the recipe a bit later :-)

Let me just say that this was my first time ever frying ANYTHING I knowit is not the most healthy way to go but it was good and another new experience for my chart of 2012!

I also tried some buttermilk ranch dip....not so amazing...but to each their own you live and learn I guess! The marinara was quite good!

Dried Pears

Happy New Year!  The year of adventure is here!

i am very excited to share with you my first new adventure of 2012.  Dried pears.  I had never had dried pears until it showed up in one of our Holiday Gift boxes at the office.  As soon as I tried them I was determined to add it to my adventure list for this year.  As I was shopping in the bulk food store's produce section there was a great deal on pears....and so my adventure began.

First I ate a couple pears....just the pears normal.....delish.

I have always known that when you dry fruit a little lemon juice will stop them from browning.  I whipped open the fridge and only had lime juice....i figured why not? Sometimes it is nice to just roll with the punches.  I threw the rest of the bottle (about 2 cups) into a bowl and started peeling and chopping the pears.  I let them soak while I ran to my parents and borrowed their food dehydrator (best invention ever they may never get it back) Over the next 12 hours I was snacking on them constantly.  I prefer with with a little bit of chewiness...and the lime juice made them amazing and just a tad bit tart.  It was fantastic.

So dried pears....a success!!! And even better that I added a little bit of my own flair to them....in a perfect world (without so many new adventures) I would set the dehydrator up every night and have a treat by morning....

Some other adventures coming up soon?  Mozerella sticks (whipped them up this afternoon for an impromptu gathering tonight), and tomorrow is Mr. Perfect's birthday....so I will let you know about that adventure as soon as he does!

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